


Four Weddings and A Funeral

by Baamon5evr



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Background Relationships, Bisexual Sam Wilson, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Drunk Sex, Drunkenness, F/M, Future Fic, M/M, Minor Character Death, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), carol danvers/jessica drew - Freeform, james "rhodey" rhodes/monica rambeau - Freeform, pepper potts/tony stark - Freeform, sharon carter/neal tapper - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baamon5evr/pseuds/Baamon5evr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Steve find each other over the course of four weddings and a funeral.<br/>Spoilers: It's not a smooth road.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Weddings and A Funeral

**Author's Note:**

> So this kind of just happened and took on a life of it's own.  
> Also, just as a heads-up, I envision Danny Rand in this as South Asian and Jessica Drew as South American. For more on the Danny Rand portion of things you guys should check out trash4ficsaboutlurv's "Up for Interpretation". It's a great read, as is all of their stuff.
> 
> Also, there are lots of references and cameos. Kudos to any and everyone who gets them.

_I can’t believe I’m actually here right now._ Steve thought to himself as he looked around the elaborately decorated ballroom.

Five years ago finding himself at Tony and Pepper’s wedding reception would’ve been surreal. For one, he was a fugitive. Two, the couple were on what had looked like a permanent break. Three, he and Tony hadn’t separated on the best of terms despite his letter to him. However, once the universe quite literally began to fall apart it was necessary to put aside their differences and come together for the collective good. There had been a lot of long talks after that and everything was still tentative at best but all of the Avengers, new and old, had managed to get along long enough to make sure this wedding went off without a hitch, if only for Pepper’s sake. Swaying public opinion certainly didn't hurt either, that's why there were handpicked photographers and journalists in attendance. Every move was a power move for people like Tony and Pepper but Steve didn't judge them, he didn't know the business world like they did.

The room was decorated in red and gold with white trimming which made Steve shake his head in disbelief, not that Tony had ever been subtle. It was lit up by hanging glass chandeliers that twinkled brightly. They didn’t shine as brightly as Pepper and Tony did though. Steve sat at his table with a smile lingering on his lips as he watched the couple dancing and laughing together. Power moves notwithstanding, it was still their wedding and after the long road it took to get there Steve was glad to see them happy. They weren’t alone, they were joined by all of the couples that had attended the wedding.

Steve watched Clint dancing with Laura except it was more like Laura laughing as Clint did some truly ridiculous moves including duck walking.

Wanda was trying to teach Vision to dance with very limited success much to Steve’s amusement.

Thor was there with Sif. The couple had married in Asgard not too long before and were expecting a little prince or princess now that they had finally ousted Loki from Asgard for good.

Bruce was there swaying with his new girlfriend Juniper. Steve decidedly tried not to be thrown off by her greenness.

T’Challa had brought his gorgeous fiancée Monica Lynne with him and he was smiling down at her as she sang along with the music as much as she danced. She had a gorgeous voice and sang the song for Tony and Pepper’s first dance.

Steve’s eyes lingered on Sharon where she was dancing with her fiancé Neal. He worked as a techie at the CIA and just so happened to be the grandson of Jim Morita. They couldn't be accused of not keeping it in the family he supposed. Sharon looked over at Steve and smiled at him and he returned the smile. They had broken up four years ago as Sharon had felt like she had to play second-fiddle to Peggy in his heart. She had had to live in her aunt’s shadow while working with SHIELD, she didn’t want to do the same in her love life. It had been a mutual separation. Steve had been so busy at the time anyway that they barely really got to spend time with each other. They broke eye contact as Sharon nuzzled into Neal’s shoulder and they continued their dance.

Steve looked away from them and over to Rhodey who sat in his wheelchair with his Monica on his lap swaying lightly in his chair. Steve looked down and away. His heart still seized with guilt every time he saw Rhodey even though the man claimed he wasn’t angry or at least he wasn’t _as_ angry as he was before. But Steve knew that for all his guilt, Sam felt it triple-fold.

Speaking of Sam…

Steve’s eyes reluctantly trailed over to where Sam was dancing with Misty Knight. The two were talking and laughing together and of course they were, why wouldn’t they be? They had been dating now for six months and were happy together. Sam deserved that after everything he had been through, especially on Steve’s account. He deserved to have a happy, stable relationship with someone as great as Misty was. There seemed to be an understanding between them that went even beyond Steve. He quickly looked away as Sam leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. He got up and made his way over to the open bar.

“Do you have more of the mead Thor brought?” He asked the bartender. He poured Steve a mug without question and Steve chugged the whole thing down, ignoring the burning it inspired in his throat. The bartender stared at him incredulously. Steve just motioned for another drink which he downed as well before getting a third mug and drinking through that one at a much slower pace. He was beginning to feel the effects of the heightened Asgardian alcohol when the bartender finally said something.

“That bad, huh?” He asked, topping up his mug again.

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean whoever they are must be pretty damn great if they’ve got someone as hot as you sitting at the bar sulking and drowning his sorrows at a wedding.” Steve conceded that point to the man across from him with a silent nod.

“So what are we looking at? You in love with the bride or the groom?” Steve chuckled a little in response.

“Neither, he’s just a guest tonight. He’s out there dancing… with his girlfriend.”

“Ah, unrequited love. That sucks, man.” Steve shook his head slightly.

“Not so much, no. We were together before, just a casual thing and he wanted more but I… well, I was an idiot.”

He and Sam had always been close but after Steve and Sharon broke up, one thing led to another and they found themselves in bed together more times than not. After years of having sex without labeling it on and off Sam expressed his want to either end the arrangement or make their relationship official. Steve chose the former. It was awkward for a while after that with Steve feeling uncomfortable the more he realized Sam wasn’t going to be sleeping next to him at night anymore, wasn’t going to be a warm presence to hold him, wasn’t going to be pressed skin to skin with him but once he realized why it bothered him so much it was already too late and Sam was dating Misty.

The bartender spent the next hour sympathetically filling Steve’s mug up so he was well and truly drunk soon enough but most of the guests were too so he didn’t feel bad about that. Some part of him deep down inside chastised him. In a room full of superheroes, he should know better than to be on anything but high alert but it was too late to worry about that now what with the double vision. He was put off with himself though. He drove here alone, how was he supposed to get home now that he was drunk? He supposed he could call Bucky or Natasha. Bucky hadn’t wanted his presence to ruin the day despite Tony (reluctantly) inviting him and since he didn’t come Nat didn’t either. However, Steve figured they were probably having very athletic sex right now and didn’t have time for him. He glanced back at his options.

He could ask Sharon which would mean riding around with his ex-girlfriend and her fiancé and however amicably they broke up, that would still be awkward.

He could ask Sam but that would mean riding with him and Misty and potentially saying something embarrassing.

Thor didn’t really get drunk and while he didn’t have a car, he had his hammer but Steve could see that ride ending in a nasty way for both of them. Besides, he already had Sif with him.

Either Monica wouldn’t mind giving him a ride but he didn’t want to even think of riding around with Rhodey or T’Challa in his state.

He might as well ask Carol and Jessica. If they said no he'd get a cab and come back for his motorcycle tomorrow. He turned in his stool to stand up and found himself sliding back down as a result of him moving too fast. He giggled slightly to himself. He hadn’t been this drunk since Thor’s wedding.

“I didn’t think that was possible.” Steve looked beside him to see a vaguely familiar blonde sitting on the stool beside him.

“Huh?” Steve asked, barely able to catch her words.

“I have a good number of sources that confirm that Captain America can't get drunk.”

"Sources?"

"I'm a reporter. I've done a few interviews with Tony Stark and he's gone on multiple rants about your super-sobriety."

“Not when Asgardian ale comes into the picture.” The blonde woman across from him smiled.

"I'm Meagan Green."

"Steve Rogers."

That was the last thing Steve remembered before he found himself waking up in the morning in his bed with a pounding headache. The headache felt faint, like an afterthought, but he was still far removed from the days where he was always nursing some illness so this was a little disorienting. There was a knocking at his door and he groaned before granting whoever it was entry. He glanced over to see Sam enter the room.

"Hey, I just wanted to check on you. I saw that you got into Thor's stuff and you looked pretty out of it." Steve sat up, rubbing at his hair which probably looked like a mess.

"I'm fine. I don't have hangovers for very long."

"Lucky asshole." Steve gave him a sleepy smile in response.

"Well, if you're not busy and you feel up to it, you wanna go out for breakfast? Bucky and Nat look extra touchy-feely out there which just spells trouble for your delicate sensibilities. Besides, Misty's out on an assignment with Colleen. Also, I brought your bike back from the reception hall. We can go for a ride. I'm driving though, inability to have a hangover or not." Steve smiled a little wider at him. For whatever their history was, and Steve's feelings notwithstanding, they were still friends. Steve liked hanging out with Sam even if they weren't a couple. At the end of the day, he'd rather be his friend than not have him at all. Just as Steve made to reply the door to his attached bathroom opened and a blonde woman wearing one of his towels strut into the room.

"That shower is heaven.” Steve stared at her as his mind quickly slotted her identity into place. Meagan Greene, reporter. He got flashes of last night, how he had brought her home and the two of them had…

 _Oh fuck, you idiot._ Steve chastised himself internally.

“Oh, I didn’t know you had company.” Sam said, his voice sounding stunned. Meagan looked over at him with a sunny smile.

“Hi, I’m Meagan.”

“Hi, I’m Sam and… leaving. I'm leaving. We’ll take a rain check, Steve.” Sam turned around without another word and walked out of the door.

“Was that the Falcon? It’s so cool that he just shows up. And Black Widow and the Winter Soldier are down the hall. This is crazy.” Meagan said, fangirling to herself.

“Yeah, sure. Um… I’ll be right back.” Steve pushed the sheet off of himself and ran out of his room, ignoring Meagan’s calls after him.

“Sam, wait!” Steve called as Sam had reached the door. Sam turned around to face him. His eyes flicked down before looking back up at Steve’s face.

“You know you’re naked, right?” He deadpanned. Steve looked down before cursing and grabbing a pillow off the couch to hold over his groin. It wasn’t anything Sam hadn’t seen before but he also felt the need to hide himself away as shame filled him.

“Sam, she’s just… I mean, we just… it was just sex. I was drunk and she was drunk and--”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m not your boyfriend, you’re a free man. You can do what you want with who you want. It’s good that you’re getting back out there. I was starting to worry actually."

“I’m not going date her or anything.” Sam shrugged.

“That’s up to you but you should deal with her. Talk to her, get her breakfast and whatever, maybe give her a ride to her place. I’d hate to see your reputation tarnished. We’ll just do breakfast another time. It's not a big deal.” Steve opened his mouth to answer but before he could Meagan’s voice sounded from the bedroom.

“Hey Steve, have you seen my underwear?! I don’t remember where you threw it last night!”

“It’s… on the ceiling fan!” Steve called back, turning slightly red as Sam stared at him seemingly unaffected.

“You should go and so should I. I’ll see you around.” Sam turned and walked out of the apartment. Steve sighed heavily once he was gone.

“Fuck.” He cursed himself.

“You’re a damn tragedy, you know that, Rogers?” Steve reluctantly looked over to where Bucky was sitting at the kitchen island eating pancakes and shaking his head at him with Natasha in his lap. She didn’t say anything but the way she stared him down while sipping on her tea told him all he needed to know about her opinion on the matter.

“I know you’re a glutton for punishment but come on man.”

“Steve, I can’t find my bra!” Meagan called from the bedroom.

“I’m coming!” Steve responded before looking back to Bucky, his face probably the picture of misery.

“You better not keep her waiting.” Steve trudged back to his room ignoring Bucky and Natasha’s commentary on his ass as he went. When he entered the room Meagan had already found her bra and her panties and was pulling her dress back on.

“I found it myself. It was sticking out from the closet, however it got in there. You were really enthusiastic last night.” She commented.

“I hope enthusiastic doesn’t mean rough.”

“Did I sound like I minded?” Steve didn’t answer as his mind hadn't properly slotted all his memories from the night before into place yet. Meagan didn’t seem to mind that he had no answer and instead rolled her eyes as she picked her bag up off the floor.

“You’re freaking out, stop freaking out.”

“What? I’m not--”

“Yes you are. You’re thinking that I’m going to get clingy now, that I'm going to think we’re in a relationship. I'm aro so there's no chance of that. Maybe you think I'm going to use my status as a reporter to write a smear article on you if you don’t call me back or something. I’m not. It was a one-night-stand. It was fun. How many people can say they’ve had sex with an Avenger?” Meagan said with a shrug. Steve stared at her gobsmacked as she approached him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Besides, I don’t play second fiddle well.” She made to walk out the door but he stopped her.

“What do you mean?” She stared at him for a moment in confusion before realization dawned on her.

“You must’ve been really drunk last night to not remember. You said ‘Sam’ while we were having sex. Several times actually. You spent 20 minutes after apologizing to me and getting all weepy about you and him.” Steve’s eyes widened at that.

"I can see why. The Falcon's super-hot. I thought it was a one-way thing but if his reaction is any indication, that's not the case."

"His reaction?"

"His tone said nonchalant but his eyes told a whole other story. He's in love with you, you're in love with him but you messed up and now he’s got a girlfriend. In short, your whole relationship is a mess. This is why I don't do long term arrangements, even just sex based ones. It's just a headache that doesn't appeal to me." Steve watched Meagan pull her blonde hair into a severe ponytail before pulling a tube of lipstick out of her bag and applying it lightly to her lips. Somehow most of her make-up was still impeccable in spite of their late night activities and she didn’t seem phased or offended by anything in this situation in the least even though Steve could name about five things she could’ve been pissed about.

“Take care of yourself, Steve. I’m going to catch a cab.” Meagan said. She smiled at him before she walked out of the room and Steve found himself standing there staring at nothing for a long moment trying to process how he went from enjoying Pepper and Tony’s day to this overnight. Bucky’s voice broke the silence.

“A fucking tragedy, Rogers!”

**~*~*~**

Rhodey and Monica's wedding was only a month after but not as extravagant as Tony and Pepper's wedding, though not for lack of trying if Monica's complaining was to be believed. Rhodey's friends loved him but could be overbearing and controlling. Ultimately Monica got her way and the wedding did not feature acrobats, a live concert or a ten tier cake but Tony and Pepper got their way too as the ceremony and reception were held on some island Tony had a financial stake in. Steve and the rest of the guests who had come early took up residence at one of the hotels on the island. It was nice and came with amenities Steve hadn’t even thought to ask for. He had to vehemently refuse one of the maids who insisted on fluffing his pillow just before he went to sleep every night. The hotel was a beachfront place since that’s where the ceremony would be taking place, right by the water on a constructed platform so Rhodey’s wheelchair didn’t get stuck in the sand at any point even though he spent most of the ceremony and the reception using the bionic leg braces Tony fashioned for him.

Steve sat at a table with Nat, Bucky, Sharon, Neal and Maria. Sam was sitting with the rest of the wedding party as he had been one of Rhodey’s groomsmen and Misty was one of Monica’s bridesmaids. Steve sat up at attention as Tony knocked on his glass.

“Alright, all eyes on me!” He called. As he stood up the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone down on him.

“Really Tony? A literal spotlight?” Rhodey asked with not even a hint of disbelief in his voice. This was hardly out of the realm of things Tony would do.

“Excuse you, pipe down so I can give my awesome best man speech. Jeez, you’d think today was about you.” Light laughter came from the guests then.

“I’m gonna make this short and sweet. Yes, I’m the best man. It's not a surprise, I’ve known Rhodey longer than I’ll ever admit I have. What is a surprise is the fact that we're here at all because A, I got married to my gorgeous, forgiving, amazing wife Pepper, before he got married and honestly if anyone told me that would happen I’d tell them to get an evaluation. And B, I'm surprised he's married at all. When this guy wasn't working, let’s just say his love life was something of a revolving door. Don’t even get me started on college. There was this great girl he was dating once who I thought he would definitely end up with. I mean she was a ten, easily, and--”

“Tony.” Pepper cautioned him as Monica was starting to glare and Steve rolled his eyes.

“I have a point.” Tony said in his own defense.

“You better.” The bride said.

“My point is that I have been with Rhodey through most of his relationships, the good ones and the bad ones, but I’ve never seen him as happy as he has been with Monica.” Steve’s eyes switched over to Sam as he sat with Misty on the podium whispering into her ear.

“Life hasn’t always been candy canes for both of them but if the law of averages was ever going to add up, it’s now. I don’t know two people who deserve to be happy more than them. I know they’re going to be just fine. They’re going to live long and happy lives together and it’s going to be sickening to watch, even for me as a happily married man. So I propose a toast to them and the many years of happiness I know they’ll have to look forward to.” Steve picked up his glass of wine and raised it in a toast to Rhodey and Monica along with everyone else as the lights came back up and Tony sat back down next to Pepper, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Steve’s heart jumped in his chest as Sam met his eyes and smiled at him. Steve smiled back at him before looking down. His fingers played with his wine glass as the music picked back up and people began finding their way back onto the dancefloor. Bucky and Natasha went off to join the couples and Sharon and Neal quickly followed leaving just Steve and Maria. The two sat in silence before Steve shrugged to himself.

“Hey, you want to--”

“Not on your life. I’m not Meagan Greene.” The brunette replied. Steve sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Did Natasha tell everyone? Was she really that upset about it?”

“Apparently, Meagan was very loud and Romanov did not appreciate it. She only told me and Carter as far as I know though. She went off on a whole spiel about how big of an idiot you are and if you had just said something before that you wouldn’t have to have one night stands in a desperate bid to get over Wilson. It’s pretty pathetic on your part actually. You’re the only reason you’re not the one Wilson’s whispering sweet nothings to right now.” Steve turned to look at Maria to see if he had heard her correctly. She noticed his look but shrugged in response.

“I don’t sugarcoat things. If you want someone to coddle you, complain to Sharon.”

“I’m not complaining and I don’t need coddling, I’m just… have you ever looked at your life and realized that you’re not happy? You’re not satisfied and you know why but there’s not much you can do about it.” Maria didn’t answer that question verbally but he could see her eyes flickering to a point across the room where a woman with vibrant pink hair and a lip piercing stood chatting with some other guests. He recognized her as Lillian, the girl from accounting Natasha tried to set him up with once. He wondered if she was the bride or the groom’s guest or just someone’s plus one but as serious as Maria was and as carefree as Lillian was, he didn't figure they would be attracted to each other.

“You don’t just accept it, you put your cards on the table Rogers. Stop being a pussy about things. Say your piece, he says his and you move on. It’s that simple.” He had a feeling this advice was perhaps just as much for herself as him but it didn’t mean he didn’t need to hear it.

“No more bullshit.”

“No, no more bullshit.” She said in agreement before standing up. She lingered at the table for a moment before she kissed her teeth.

“Come on.” She said, holding out her hand. Steve looked up at her with surprise.

“Don’t get any ideas. I just don’t want to look like an idiot sitting at this table alone and I’m taking pity on you.” Steve smiled a little at her before taking her hand and following her to the dancefloor. He spent the rest of the night enjoying himself on the dancefloor. He danced with Maria, Natasha, Sharon and even Monica at one point before Rhodey stole his new wife back. He was in high spirits as he left the ceremony following Rhodey and Monica being whisked off by a couple of burly men carrying a palanquin. He made his way back to the hotel as everyone else decided to hang around the beach for the open bar and the music that was still playing.

“You sure you don’t want to stick around, Stevie?” Bucky asked before he walked off.

“Nah, I’d rather have a good night’s rest than be you guys' fifth wheel.” Steve made his way leisurely back to the hotel taking in the comfortably humid night. It was hot but it wasn’t near as hot as it had been in New Orleans last time he accompanied Sam to pay his mom a visit so he could handle it. He walked towards the elevator and stepped on, pressing his floor. Before the doors could close a hand stopped it and Steve looked up to see Sam. His heart thudded nervously in his chest as Sam smiled at him and pressed his floor, the one above Steve’s.

“Not in a partying mood?” Steve asked so there was no tense silence.

“Nah, not really. Misty’s still down there with everyone else but I wanted to rest so--” Whatever else Sam was going to say was cut off as the elevator ground to a harsh halt. Steve looked up at the numbers and saw none of them were lit up. He and Sam shared a look as the elevator doors didn’t open before a bell dinged and a voice sounded in the car.

“Hello, is someone in there?”

“Um, yeah man. What’s going on?” Sam asked.

“That elevator is out of order, there was supposed to be a sign there. It’s been acting up all day, getting stuck between floors.”

“There was no sign. Listen, we’re pretty capable of getting out of here. We could climb the cables; I mean I’ve got a super soldier with me so--”

“All due respect but I’d rather not have you guys do anything crazy and end up squashed in an elevator shaft or something. Just stay put and we’ll have you out in two, five minutes max.” The call light switched off and Sam sighed with annoyance.

“At least there’s air conditioning in here.” Steve said.

“Yeah, I guess.” Sam replied while taking off his jacket and laying it down on the floor. He slipped down to sit and Steve followed him after a moment. Might as well.

“So...” Steve started, nervously wringing his hands.

“So?”

“We… we never got a rain check on that breakfast.” Sam looked a little confused before recognition alighted his face.

“I didn’t want to impose on the lovefest with Meagan Greene. How is she anyway?”

“Your guess is as good as mine; I haven’t seen her since then.”

“I didn’t think you did one-night-stands. Friends with benefits, sure, but not a one and done kind of thing.” Sam commented.

“I was very drunk. I plan to make sure that never happens again.”

“At least I know your enhanced DNA is fallible in some ways. It’ll make me feel better about myself the next time I get blackout drunk.”

“We’ll see if the hangover is worth it. What about you and Misty?” Sam smiled then.

“We’re good. It was a surprise really, for both of us. She was just coming off of her relationship with Danny and I was just… re-evaluating things. We had only ever thought of each other as friends and then boom but it’s good. We just… get each other. It’s nice to have that.” Steve looked down and smiled to himself, a smile tinged with both sadness and fondness.

“I’m glad you have that with her. Like Tony said, I don’t know two people who deserve each other more.” Steve said sincerely, looking over at Sam. Sam searched his face before smiling at him softly.

“Thank you. I appreciate it, especially coming from you.” Sam sighed before continuing.

“Listen, what happened between me and you, I know we don’t talk about it--”

“Sam--”

“No, I have something to say. I was… I was hurt when you didn’t want to be with me, I can admit that. I was pissed off too but I understand that you weren’t ready for a relationship then and I was, so things happened the way they happened."

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” Steve responded, as regret and guilt welled up in him.

“I know. I believe things happen for a reason. We didn’t work out but now I have Misty. Sharon has Neal, Bucky has Natasha and I want you to have someone too.”

“Sam, I’m fine.”

“Come on, man. I don’t want you to be alone. I just feel like you could find someone but something is holding you back.”

“I…” Steve sighed.

 _Put your cards on the table, don’t be a pussy about it._ He told himself, reiterating Maria’s words to him.

“There has been something holding me back. It’s… it’s been you.” Sam looked at him with surprise and confusion.

“When everything with us happened and you wanted to take it to the next level, I was terrified. Peggy and Sharon were both important to me but our… arrangement was the longest relationship I ever had. It was comfortable for me not to label it because I could justify and downplay certain things to myself. Things like the fact that I was falling for you, that I had been before we ever had sex. I didn’t know how to handle that. I was thinking of all the ways things could go wrong. Historically, my romantic relationships haven’t panned out the best in the world and I knew if we were together you’d have an even bigger target on your back than you already do. I… I didn’t want that.” Sam’s eyes widened as he stared at him silently.

“I’m not telling you this to hurt you. It’s not a declaration or anything. I mean, it is but I missed my chance and now you’re with Misty and I’m glad about that. I know she’s good to you and I know you’re happy, so I’m happy. My feelings for you… well, I messed it up pretty good for myself and I’ll just have to accept that. I’m working through it though so I don’t need you to set me up with anyone. I just need time. I’ll find my Misty when I’m ready, I promise.” Sam stared at him, an indecipherable range of emotions passing over his face.

“And staying together is more important than how we stay together, right?”

“Yeah.” Sam said in a soft tone, looking down at his lap. Steve looked up as the elevator creaked and began to ascend. The doors opened after a moment onto his floor and the two men got up and moved out of the elevator. They stood before each other silently not looking at one another before Sam suddenly moved forward and threw his arms around Steve’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug. Steve hesitantly returned the embrace but soon he was hugging Sam just as tightly. They quietly held each other for a minute before Sam pulled back staring him in the face.

“I…” He started before he shook his head then and turned away.

“Have a good night, Steve.” He called back, disappearing past the door to the stairs. Steve heaved a heavy breath as he walked towards his room. He felt like something had lifted off of his chest but he couldn’t tell yet if it had been a good thing or a bad thing.

**~*~*~**

It probably should’ve been more awkward for Steve attending Sharon and Neal’s wedding but it wasn’t. Sharon looked radiant in her gown with her hair pinned up and white flowers adorning her blonde twists. Neal looked ecstatic standing at the altar and they made a gorgeous couple. Jim was there along with much of the Morita family as well as the Carter clan. Steve felt the loss of Peggy in this moment but he knew Sharon felt it more than he did, especially since she and Peggy were so close following Sharon’s mother’s death when she was young but her father was there and he walked her down the aisle.

Steve looked around the reception room as everyone was still eating before the first dance when his eyes caught Sam from across the way. He was sitting with Scott, Hope, Clint and Laura but Misty was nowhere to be seen and there was no chair reserved for her. Steve looked around the room and finally spotted her sitting at a table with Jessica, Luke, Matt, Claire, Danny, Colleen and Colleen’s girlfriend Naoko. Steve’s eyes widened as Misty laughed at something Danny said and leaned in to kiss him.

“When did that happen?” Steve asked. Carol, who was sitting beside him, looked over at Misty and Danny with a knowing look.

“Last week.”

“But Sam…?”

“Misty broke up with Sam like three weeks ago. She said they loved each other but they weren’t in love and there were other variables involved that she wouldn’t tell me about. She and Danny are back together so take that how you will.”

“I’m surprised Sam didn’t tell you, as close as you two are.” Jess said from Carol’s other side cradling her and Carol’s son Gerry in her arms. Steve looked over at Sam closely. He didn’t seem upset but he didn’t seem happy either. He had been so excited leading up to Sharon and Neal’s wedding. Sharon brought him to practically everything to do with the wedding: the dress fitting, picking out the cake, choosing the venue, even picking out napkins. Somehow Steve found himself attending these things as well even though he didn’t much care about the difference between daisy white and alabaster white table cloths the way Sam, Sharon and Sharon’s maid of honor, Melanie, had. He and Sam didn’t interact the way they used to, not since their talk in the elevator. Sam hadn’t brought it up at all. He had thrown himself all in to Sharon’s wedding and that was all they talked about lately. Observing him now, Steve was pretty sure he was drunk or at least on his way to being there.

He kept a close eye on Sam as the reception continued but beyond getting up once to hug Sharon and Neal he didn’t move from his spot at the table even when everyone else had left him alone to mingle. It wasn’t until he was well and truly drunk and was approached by a man that Steve moved to him. Sam wasn't a sloppy drunk, he always seemed well put together but that didn't mean his judgment wasn't impaired and Steve's heightened sense of smell could detect that the man who approached him didn't smell like alcohol at all. Steve wasn't about to let him take Sam anywhere. He stood up and stepped closer to them as he listened to their conversation with his enhanced hearing.

“… we can just get out of here, maybe get some drinks somewhere else if you’re interested.” The man said.

“I’m already pretty much gone, so no thanks.” Sam said. He didn’t really mess up his words but his voice was all wrong, at least to Steve’s ears. It sounded slower than normal and his voice was slightly hoarse.

“Come on, we can have some fun together. You don’t even sound that drunk anyway.” The man said, grabbing Sam’s hand and pulling it gently into his lap. He wasn’t rough but he was persistent and that was more than enough of a red flag for Steve.

“Look, we’ll go back to my hotel room and I’ll make sure you have fun. If you don’t like it, you probably won’t remember in the morning anyway so no harm done, right?”

“I’m really not that desperate or that drunk.” Sam responded.

“Let’s just--”

“He said no.” Steve interrupted, standing over the man imposingly. The man looked up at him with a sneer that quickly fell from his lips when he recognized who he was looking at.

“Of course, I just—I didn’t hear but I got it now, so I’m just gonna--”

“You’re going to leave the wedding. Alone. Now.” Steve said, glaring at the man. The man nodded silently, his eyes wide with alarm. Steve stared him down as he scurried out of the reception hall before turning to Sam. To his surprise, Sam was frowning at him with a slight glare.

“I could've handled it myself. I didn’t need you swooping in to save me.”

“You’re drunk and he was trying to convince you to leave with him when he’s clearly sober. What if he slipped something in your drink? I’m not going to leave your safety to chance.” Sam rolled his eyes sluggishly at him.

“Calm down, it was a sleazy guy not a killer robot.”

“Either way, let me bring you back to your apartment. You’re already drunk and you haven’t been having fun all night anyway.”

“I’m absolutely ecstatic.” Sam deadpanned in response. Steve wordlessly pulled out his chair and held out a hand to him which Sam reluctantly accepted. Steve steered him towards the exit, gave their final congratulations to Sharon and Neal and then lead Sam out to his car. He buckled Sam in and left his window rolled down to let the cool breeze sober him up a little before he started to drive down the road towards Sam’s apartment, about a 30-minute drive. It was silent for a time, Steve focusing on the road and Sam stewing in his thoughts before he suddenly broke it.

“She was, wasn’t she? She was happy.” Sam said as if he and Steve had been having a conversation.

“Who? Sharon? Yeah, she looked really happy today.”

“No, not Sharon, although she was happy and I’m glad she has Neal. That’s good. I meant Misty. She looked happy with Danny, didn’t she?” Steve shifted slightly in his seat but didn’t answer.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to lie to me. I know she did and I'm glad she is. It’s just...” Sam cut himself off with a bitter chuckle.

“You know what she said when she broke up with me? She said that she never felt like there were two people in our relationship, that from the beginning there was always a third party that I was trying to run from and failing. There was this person I was trying to replace with her and it wasn’t a bad thing, it was what she was doing too in a way and we were happy together, but being happy together didn’t mean we were in love or that our feelings could be changed. The third party she was talking about is you in case you didn’t realize.” Sam said. Steve remained silent but his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

“The thing is I wanted to, you know? I wanted to love her. Not just love her but be in love with her. She's this great person and we understand each other in a way no one else ever has. Seeing her, being with her, made me happy. It still makes me happy, _she_ makes me happy. Why can’t that be enough? I didn’t want our relationship to be about you and Danny and the fact that we both had this unrequited love with you two but somehow that’s what it was. That’s how she feels anyway even though I… and she was..." Sam trailed off with a frustrated sigh, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Sam, you’re drunk. You don’t need to tell me any of this--”

“I want… you know what I want? I want to be in love with Misty and I want to not be in love with you. Why can’t I just get the things I want? It’s not like I’m asking for the moon.” Steve ignored the hurt blooming in his chest as Sam was working himself up, angry tears starting to form in his eyes. It was one of Sam’s biggest pet peeves about himself, all his anger went straight to his tear ducts.

“Sam--”

“You know what? Why’d you even tell me that stuff you did in the elevator?” Sam asked suddenly, turning around to face Steve. Steve glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but kept his eyes on the road.

“Was it to make you feel better about how things went with us? In case you don’t remember what happened, after 18 months of having sex together on and off again I asked you if you wanted to be a couple and after stonewalling me and just flat out ignoring me for _four days_ you said, and I quote, ‘I don’t think that’d be the right fit for either of us’ and left it at that. Nothing else to it, no explanation, nothing. I moved on because I get to do that, I have the right to do that. How is it fair for you to then, out of the blue, admit to having feelings for me? Feelings that apparently keep you from forming long-lasting relationships? Why even say you didn’t want to be with me in the first place? It was a waste of time and all you did was make it so I had to go through another break-up while you get to sleep with all the Meagan Greenes you want to. How is any of this fair?” Steve clutched the steering wheel tighter trying to calm his pounding heart as Sam berated him, angry tears leaking from the side of his eyes. He smelled of whiskey and wine but Steve knew from experience that if he tried to end the conversation citing his drunkenness, Sam would only get angrier.

“It’s not. It’s not fair, Sam. I just…” Steve sighed heavily, leaning his head back against the headrest.

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, here we are.” Sam replied sarcastically.

“Do you remember when I got you, Barton, Lang and Wanda out of the Raft? Clint was a wired mess worrying about Laura and the kids, Scott was worried sick about Cassie, they had Wanda chained up like an animal and you were all bruised up. Fresh bruises, they weren’t from the fight at the airport. I knew they’d probably go after you and Wanda more so than the others. A girl and a black man in a prison? You guys were easy targets. Scott told me that you would try to keep the guards off Wanda, get all their attention on you. It’s where the bruises came from.”

“What’s the point of telling me this? It was five years ago.”

“The point is you were in the Raft in the first place because of me and it’s not the first time you ended up with the short-end of the stick being with me. That factory in Guadalajara where you got stabbed.”

“It was a flesh-wound.”

“That bunker in Munich where you got shot.”

“The bullet barely grazed me.”

“We had to stay in Seoul an extra three days after that horrible panic attack you had because me, being the genius I am, jumped off that skyscraper and you flashed back to Riley.”

“That’s my stuff. For the last time, stop trying to take responsibility for my stuff.”

“Alright, then after that. Bucky attacked you in Romania, he nearly broke your back.”

“He did worse to Tony, Sharon and Nat.”

“Don’t even get me started on all the missions we did as the “secret warriors”. You got hurt on a third of them and it was mostly because you were protecting me or intervening when I did something stupid and reckless.” Sam didn’t have a rebuttal for that.

“Then Thanos happened and that was…” They shared a shiver as they thought of the destruction and death Thanos had caused across the galaxies.

“When you asked us to be official everything came crashing down on me and I just realized that all I’ve brought to your life is nothing but danger and hurt and pain. I keep hurting you Sam and I don’t… I don’t mean to do that. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. Maybe it was selfish to make that choice. No, I know it was selfish but I… I didn’t want… I don’t want another person I love to be hurt by someone whose going after me. That’s the choice I made and I stuck with it.” Sam sat silent in his seat and Steve glanced over at him as he pulled up to a stoplight to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. Sam was staring at him with slightly glassy eyes, glazed over from the alcohol and his warring emotions.

“You stopped that guy from talking me into leaving with him because you wanted to make sure I chose him with a clear head. Being with him needed to be my choice, so why wasn’t being with you a choice I got to make? I get to choose what situations I put myself in. I get to choose whether or not being in a relationship is too dangerous for me. I get to choose if this is too much for me. If you had just told me you felt this way from the beginning we could’ve already dealt with this, we wouldn’t need to be sitting in this car with me being a sad drunk and you, martyr you are, probably about to take every low point in my life as a personal failure so you can beat yourself up later like always if you haven’t done it already." Steve opened his mouth to protest then shut it again as he thought better of it.

“I can’t believe you actually did this, I’m so pissed at you.” Steve swallowed, choosing not to respond. They stayed silent the rest of the car ride.

When they arrived to Sam’s apartment Steve helped him exit the car and helped him up the stairs and to his bedroom. He got a cup of water for him while Sam pulled off his shoes, socks, tie and suit jacket. Steve helped him out of his shirt and pants and left him in a tee and boxers before handing him the water.

“I’ll leave aspirin by your bed for the morning and some more water.” Sam nodded his understanding as he crawled up his bed.

“I hope I remember this conversation in the morning. If I do, I’m still going to be angry at you and if I don’t chances are I’ll be mad anyway. Can’t believe you wasted our time like this.” Sam mumbled to himself, continuing on an angry tangent about Steve’s stupidity under his breathe.

Steve sighed in response. He wasn’t sure whether or not Sam remembering any of this was a good or bad thing.

**~*~*~**

Sam apparently did remember their conversation and per his promise was mad at Steve, mad enough to not talk to him in a month. Even when they were in large group settings such as missions or debriefings Sam ignored him. He talked to Misty and Danny more than he spoke to Steve, which wasn’t saying much really, he barely spoke to either of them but it was unusual for Steve to deal with this because Sam had never shut him out before. Natasha and Bucky hadn’t been exactly sympathetic when he fessed up to the reason he was moping around their shared apartment. Bucky had gone on about what an idiot and a tragedy he was and how he gave men born during the Greatest Generation bad names (which was really just the two of them now but Steve didn’t mention that then). Natasha had stared him down in that judgmental and intimidating way only she could even when she was curled up in Bucky’s lap like a cat wearing hot pink sweatpants and a bedazzled shirt with Elmo on it. She had a weird fashion sense sometimes and justified it by saying she needed to throw off her enemies sometimes. Apparently he ranked on that list now as evidenced by the fact that half of his t-shirts had been washed in with the reds and were now in various states of discoloration. As it was, Sam didn’t seem to want anything to do with him and none of his friends seemed to have any helpful advice on how to deal with this situation. The most recent news he had received only served to exacerbate the stress he was already feeling.

Isaiah Bradley was dead.

Steve had found out about him as he was searching for Bucky. Sam and Fury already knew his story: how he and 300 other Black men had been forced into experimentation to make more soldiers like Steve. How most of them died during this process or as a result of its negative side effects. How he was subsequently put in prison for taking the Captain America uniform and trying to do good, leaving behind his wife and daughter and having a son who fared no better than his father thanks to the same corrupt system. It had quickly become just as much of a personal responsibility for Steve to set these wrongs to rights with the Bradleys as it was to do the same with Bucky. He couldn’t restore the man’s failing mind any more than he could've done for Peggy. He couldn't take away the years spent rotting in a supermax prison. He couldn't bring back the days Sarah and Josiah missed with their father or the ones Faith missed with her husband but he could bring his family peace. He could make sure Isaiah and those other 300 men got the official recognition they deserved. He could make sure his family was compensated for all their heartache. He could make sure Isaiah’s legacy was just as important to the overall public as his own. Now he got his very own section in the Captain America exhibit and overtime Steve had become close to the family. It was part of the reason why he was promptly called when it happened.

“I’m so sorry, Faith. I… I didn’t even know he was sick.”

“He’s been sick for a while. It’s that damn serum they gave him, it’s hard to pin down when something’s wrong. It wasn’t painful, he just fell asleep. We were all there with him. Even Josiah came from wherever he was holed up. It’s already been passing through the vine, I just thought I oughta call you and let you know before you come all the way here and find yourself in a situation you weren’t expectin’.” Faith’s voice, which was usually soft yet strong, sounded raw but no less strong than she usually was, than what she had to be after all her family had been put through.

“If there’s anything I can do for you and your family, you say the word and I’m there. Anything.” Steve replied, his sincerity seeping into every word.

“Not just yet. We’re grieving as a family but at the funeral I’d appreciate it if you could be a pall bearer for my Isaiah.”

“Of course. The honor would be all mine.”

“We’ll send out dates and the like eventually.”

“You just… you take of yourself and your family, Ma’am.”

A week later, he found himself sitting in his room pulling on a black suit for the funeral. Natasha had put aside her ire and helped him find this suit,

_‘Because if it was up to you it’d be two sizes too small.’_

Last time he had had to shop for a funeral suit had been for Peggy’s funeral and he had obsessed about it, trying to find the perfect suit for it like it mattered. Sam had been with him then and had knocked sense into him.

_‘You’re never going to find the perfect suit. Even if you do, it’s not going to make today okay.’ Sam had told him._

_‘I know, I’m just…’ Steve trailed off, shaking his head. He was trying to hold back his tears ever since Sam had found him in the staircase practically hyperventilating._

_‘I’m going to be with you the whole time. We’re going to get through this together.’_

And Sam _had_ been there right beside him the entire time and then through the mess with the Accords as well but he wasn’t here now and Steve couldn’t fault him for that. He had messed up royally.

He looked up as a knock sounded at his door and was surprised to see Misty standing there.

“Hey, Bucky and Natasha let me in. Bucky did anyway, Natasha was trying to get her demon cat off the fridge.” Steve rolled his eyes at that. He cursed the day Nat had inexplicable moved in because Liho came with her and that damn cat was a terror.

Steve observed Misty as she walked into the room and sat down on Steve’s bed next to him. Her springy locks were pulled back from her face with a black headband and her quarter-sleeved dark gray dress hugged her curvy hips before falling around her legs to her knees. She wore elbow length black leather gloves, probably to cover her prosthetic arm. It matched her strappy black heels and the black sash across her waist, complimenting her dress. Steve had always thought her to be a beautiful woman, even when Sam had started dating her and staring at the two of them started to hurt.

“I’ve never really liked funerals.” Misty started, smoothing her hands down her skirt.

“I never know what to say to the family and I end up sticking my foot in my mouth. I’ve never had to deal with someone really close to me dying, not yet anyway. My grandma died but she and my dad weren’t close when she went so I wasn’t close to her either. This feels different though. Everyone’s planning to be there: Fury, Rhodey, T’Challa, both Monicas, Luke, Bishop, Dr. Foster, Ororo, Blade, Jericho. Hell, even Delroy’s coming and you know he barely leaves Hawaii for any reason other than going back to the Temple. Even though T’Challa, Storm and Monica have their problems and Eric hates all of us, we’re all coming together for this.”

“I wouldn’t say Brooks hates us, he just very strongly dislikes us. But then he has a general dislike for most things and people.”

“Except Rambeau, no one can hate Rambeau. You can try but I think she literally can scare the hate away. The point is, Isaiah is important to all of us, to our story. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you why.”

“For the same reason Gabe is, I understand that. Sam’s mother explained it well enough to me the last time we saw each other.” Steve said with a nod. There was a reason Sam, Fury, Monica and even T’Challa knew about him when Steve and even Peggy hadn’t. Steve was startled slightly as Misty groaned then.

“Damn it, I completely forgot about Sam’s mom.”

“What about her?”

“I haven’t heard anything from her since the break-up. She gets clingy. She was planning our wedding the first time I met her and we hadn’t even been dating then. Sam hasn’t said anything to me about how she reacted when he told her we were over but then again Sam doesn’t say much to me about anything nowadays.” Misty explained, looking down with an air of sadness.

“I thought the break-up was amicable.”

“But it was still a break-up. Plus, whatever you said to him at Sharon’s wedding just made him pissed at me. He came to me and said that when I broke up with him he could tell I wasn’t giving him the whole story and that there was just something about all of it that wasn’t right. He said after speaking to you he finally figured it out, said I made a decision for us based on assumptions that I made without taking into account his choices or feelings on the matter or what he actually wanted. If I had just broke up with him and said it was about Danny and only him in the first place, then he wouldn’t be upset but instead I told him it was about me and him when it wasn’t, and it was unfair that decisions kept being made for him by people who thought they knew what he needed better than he knew for himself.” Steve winced as he looked away. That sounded enough like what Sam would’ve said. Steve was just sorry his anger at him had apparently translated over to Misty when he had seemed fine with the break-up on the car ride home that night. None of what he told him sounded like Misty had done what Steve had to him but maybe he didn’t know the whole story. Which was fine, he didn’t really need to anyway. It was their business.

“What’d you tell him anyway?” Misty asked. Steve sighed before taking the plunge.

“I told him that the reason I said we shouldn’t be together when he asked was because I didn’t want to put him in any more danger than I already had. He wasn't too pleased with the fact that I made that choice for us without his input.”

“That’ll do it. I can’t judge you, I did the same thing. I told Sam I loved him but I wasn’t in love with him. That wasn’t the whole story. I am in love with him but I just… I love Danny more and I didn’t want to waste anymore of Sam’s time when I knew that and I knew that he loved you more than he loved me. According to him though it wasn’t my sole right to act on that assumption, however right it was, without talking to him first.” Misty replied. There was a tone of regret to her voice, one that matched the one Steve suspected was in his voice.

“You and Danny are back together now.” He pointed out needlessly. Misty smiled then.

“I know and I’m happy about it, we’re working on things. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything for Sam. Feelings are complicated, messy little assholes. Sue me if I don’t have it all figured out. I probably won’t any time soon.”

“I’m not holding it against you.”

“Well, Sam is. He’s holding it against both of us and I don’t blame him. We made decisions and didn’t let him get a word in edgewise about what he wanted which, yeah, makes us the assholes in this situation but you can still do something about it.”

“And what’s that? Because as far as I can see, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Talk to him, just… give him whatever he wants, especially if you know you want it too. I want that for him, he deserves to be happy.”

“He was happy with you.” Steve pointed out.

“He was happy with you too.” Misty countered. Steve conceded that point, they _were_ happy together before everything got complicated. It wasn’t just the sex, it was the fact that they were best friends, they could talk about anything with each other. Steve missed that.

“Guys, you’re going to be late!” Bucky called out from the kitchen.

“Sam’s going to be there.” Misty said quietly. She and Steve weren’t the closest in the world but he knew her well enough and this was the first time he’d heard a hint of fear in her voice. Even after various apocalypses and E.O.W events, it was Sam being angry at her that cowed her. Steve could understand and sympathize.

“Well, we’ll be there together. Form a united front right?” Misty looked over at him and smiled after a moment.

“Maybe he’ll be so stumped at the fact that we’re together that he’ll forget to be mad at us.”

The funeral itself, as most funerals, was a dismal affair. Steve served as pall bearer per Faith’s request along with T’Challa, Luke, Josiah, Eli and Monica whose dreads were pulled back into a bun adorned with shiny black beads with a headband similar to Misty’s. Fury gave the eulogy while Steve sat in between Misty and Dr. Bill Foster. Sam was sitting a few rows back with Miles and his parents. He’d given Steve and Misty bemused looks as they stuck close together but didn’t approach either of them and ended up ducking out of the packed church ahead of them then disappearing. Steve deflated but Misty held strong.

"When the time is right." She cautioned. Steve nodded in response, there was nothing left to do but wait.

**~*~*~**

Carol and Jessica's wedding came as no surprise really except that it hadn't happened sooner. The two had known each other before they became Captain Marvel and Spiderwoman, they had been together for years before either joined the Avengers, they had a son together but it was only now that they took the next step. They both wore gorgeous gowns with flowing veils. Carol's bouquet was full of red and blue poppies and forget-me-nots, and Jessica's was red roses and Casablanca lilies. Jessica's father walked her down the aisle first then Carol's uncle walked her down. The ceremony was full of tears from both sides of the aisle.

The reception was gorgeous. Jessica's cousin had taken the stage and sung beautifully in their native Spanish for the first dance and after that the party was in full swing. Steve looked around the reception room but most people faded into the background, he was looking for one person. He and Sam ran into each other twice after the funeral. Once at the apartment where he ignored Steve's existence in favor of Natasha and once in a grocery store where they got stuck on a line together. Steve had tried to talk to him but Sam shut him down, before he left though he told Steve to just give him time and that wasn't 'no' so he ultimately walked away from that interaction satisfied. It had been some time now and he wanted to talk to Sam finally, he wanted them to level with each other. He spotted the man finally standing on the edges of the dance floor staring at the fountain where Rocket and Groot were. Groot was trying to drink the water shooting out of the bow of a cupid while Rocket, who was clearly drunk, was spitting all kinds of affection laden abuse at him.

"As crazy as our lives have been I can still find myself surprised." Steve said, saddling up beside him. Sam threw a glance his way before returning his attention to the tableau.

"After meeting Howard the Duck and Squirrel Girl I've resigned myself to expect anything." Sam commented. He switched his gaze from the aliens to the brides. They were on the dance floor together dancing with Gerry who had just turned two.

"I'm happy for them. They deserve this." Sam said in a fond, wistful tone. Steve nodded in response.

"They do." The two were silent for a moment before they both turned to each other and spoke at once.

"Do you wanna dance?" Steve asked.

"Do you wanna talk?" Sam asked at the same time. They paused and chuckled lightly.

"Dance and talk, at the same time." Sam negotiated. Steve nodded and the two made their way to the open space before turning to each other. Sam intertwined their fingers and let Steve lead them.

"So are you and Misty BFFs now?" Sam asked. Steve looked at him slightly confused that they were starting there.

"It's been bothering me since Isaiah's funeral. You two barely interact outside the field, then boom there you are clinging to each other."

"Well, we had a pretty big common denominator. She told me that you got mad at her after you talked to me in the car."

"Yeah, 'cause I figured out she did the same thing as you just a little differently and with added complications because you and Danny were in the mix."

"So you didn't want to break up with her?"

"I wanted to have the option of actually thinking through everything for myself without her or you telling me how you think I feel or how I should feel. I can figure out my feelings on my own." Steve nodded, taking in everything Sam was telling him. The fact of the matter was he didn't listen to him enough, that's what got them in this mess.

"Everything I've seen since being in this time period, everyone I've lost, you would think I learned better but somehow I still managed to mess things up. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about us, about what I did. I never apologized so I want to say it now. I shouldn't have made that decision for you. It wasn't my place."

"No, it wasn't."

"I can't promise to never do something like this again. Fact is I probably will but at least I hope you'll call me out on it if I do. More than anything, I don't want to run anymore. I don't want to fight anymore. I've been looking for a place to call home and I've never felt it more than when I'm with you. You're it for me, you're home, but I want to know what you want." Sam stared at him, his face a cacophony of warring emotions before he settled on determination.

"I want us to try. If we don't work out, then it won't be for lack of trying. But don't expect us to end up in bed again any time soon, I want to take things slow. That's... That's what I want."

"Then that's what I want too." Sam gave him a look then.

"I don't want you to want something just because I do."

"All I know is that I want you. I don't mind you setting the pace, as long as I have you in the end I'm happy." Sam gave him a scrutinizing look before he nodded with satisfaction.

"Okay." They spent the rest of the night dancing and Steve could barely keep the grin off his face. It wasn't anything definitive but it was a start and more than that, it was hope.


End file.
